IN the THICK of IT: ENDORSEMENTS for INTHETHICK of IT Why the Church Is an Essential Partner for Sustainable Development in the World’S Poorest Communities
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WHY THE CHURCH IS AN ESSENTIAL PARTNER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD’S POOREST COMMUNITIES IN THE A report from Tearfund THICK OF IT www.tearfund.org 100 Church Road, Teddington, TW11 8QE Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD Tyv Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Llangefni, Ynys Môn LL77 7NN Rose House, 2 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast BT9 6FL [email protected] 0845 355 8355 Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland) www.tearfund.ie Tearfund Ireland, Ulysses House, 22-24 Foley Street, Dublin 1 [email protected] 01 497 5285 Registered Charity No. CHY 8600 Cover photo: Marcus Perkins/Tearfund Back page photos: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund and Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund 19271-(0709) BE PART OF A MIRACLE IN THE THICK OF IT: ENDORSEMENTS FOR INTHETHICK OF IT why the church is an essential partner for sustainable development in the world’s poorest communities July 2009 ‘The church is on the frontline of efforts to tackle poverty: it is at the heart of poor communities Author: Seren Boyd and shares in their suffering. Pastors and congregations are making a real difference as they roll their sleeves up, get their hands dirty, offer support and bring communities together. In many Key Tearfund contributors: Paul Brigham, Keith Ewing, Philippa Newis, Tulo Raistrick contexts only the church can reach the poorest in this way. And the church could do so much more. With grateful thanks to Tearfund staff and partners The church as a whole needs to wake up to its God-given mandate and potential to tackle poverty – at home and overseas. In the thick of it is an important message for now – and one which I hope Main sources: governments and donors will heed.’ African Religious Health Assets Programme BBC Community Development Foundation DFID THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK, DR JOHN SENTAMU Glasgow Churches Action Global Health Council Gweini IMF Micah Challenge Oxford Centre for Mission Studies ‘This report comes at an important moment in our history: we could achieve something significant UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development United Nations Development Programme if we scaled up our efforts and got really serious about achieving the Millennium Development World Bank World Health Organization Goals. We must not let this opportunity slip through our fingers. The international community is slowly realising all that the church has been doing to end poverty – but it’s time they acknowledged the full story and supported the church in its vital work. The church as an institution We are a Christian relief and development agency building a global network of local churches to help has unparalleled presence at the grassroots level, a presence which can meaningfully impact efforts eradicate poverty. to end poverty. We can achieve more, faster, if we all work together. The simple truth is that we And so our ten-year vision is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty can’t afford not to.’ through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches. ARCHBISHOP NJONGO NDUNGANE, PRESIDENT OF AFRICAN MONITOR Media contact: Katie Harrison ‘In the thick of it presents a compelling account of how the church is enriching contemporary [email protected] understandings of development and is at the forefront of transforming some of the world's poorest 020 8943 7986 communities. The report reminds us that love of God and neighbour demands social and political 07949 181414 action, and it challenges both governments and the church to engage with each other to make this love real.’ PAUL WOOLLEY, DIRECTOR, THEOS, LONDON, UK www.tearfund.org 100 Church Road, Teddington TW11 8QE Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD Ty Catherine, Capel Cildwrn, Llangefni, Ynys Môn LL77 7NN ‘In many places, Christians constitute the only credible civil society organisations. Wherever they Rose House, 2 Derryvolgie Avenue, Belfast BT9 6FL have focused on both the physical and spiritual needs of people, they have succeeded in transforming local communities for the better. This should come as no surprise, given that the church is supposed to be salt and light in society, preventing moral and social decay, and revealing www.tearfund.ie a better, more fulfilling way to live. In the thick of it reminds us that sustainable living is not merely Tearfund Ireland, Ulysses House, 22-24 Foley Street, Dublin 1 an environmental issue but is essentially a relational one, and that sustainable development is not an economic question but one of healthy social, political, economic and personal relationships – of “individuals coming together as a community”.’ © Tearfund 2009 DR JOHN HAYWARD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JUBILEE CENTRE, CAMBRIDGE, UK Front cover photo: Marcus Perkins/Tearfund 1 CONTENTS Executive summary . 4 Recommendations . 6 Introduction: the urgency of now . 7 1: the church in wide angle . 8 2: distinctive strengths of the local church . 12 3: local church on the front line . 17 HIV . 17 environmental sustainability . 19 water, sanitation and hygiene . 20 advocacy . 22 gender . 24 4: developing the local church’s potential . 25 5: why partnership is the way forward . 27 6: the building blocks of partnership . 31 2 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN BRIEF dependency. In many nations the local church is one of The Churches Health Association of the few credible civil society groups capable of making Zambia provides nearly a third of the this happen. Christianity’s distinctive focus on building The church is delivering truly sustainable development at the heart of the world’s relationships and being inclusive is central to this task. nation’s healthcare poorest communities – by tackling material and spiritual poverty. In some regions it is The church is more than capable of professional and The Kale Heywet Church is helping the only institution able to do so. That makes the church an essential partner for effective service delivery and reaching high numbers of 100,000 Ethiopians lift themselves out governments and donors serious about scaling up efforts to reach the Millennium beneficiaries (see box right). And, particularly when the of poverty with self-help groups Development Goals. It’s time they acknowledged that faith and development are whole church network is engaged, it can have a huge impact with limited resources – a significant consideration inextricably linked in much of the developing world. It’s time to translate debate about Ten staff at a Tearfund partner for donors in the current economic climate. organisation in Zimbabwe have working with faith groups into active partnership. And it’s time for the church in the The church is not, however, just another NGO: its facilitated the training of 3,000 West to realise fully its role and potential in tackling poverty at home and overseas. distinctive strengths can make a vital difference in key volunteers caring for 78,000 orphans areas of development at local level. For example: In Wales, 42,000 volunteers from faith - HIV – in Africa especially, churches’ influence and A dramatic untold story is unfolding in some of the national health services. And its influence is such that it leadership are helping to break down stigma groups clock up 80,000 hours’ poorest places on our planet. Here, at the heart of HIV can mobilise hundreds of thousands of people worldwide community service a week; 98% of epidemics, at the epicentre of disasters, the church is to lobby on issues such as climate change and - Water and sanitation – churches bring sanitation and groups are Christian bringing transformation to some of the most vulnerable international debt relief. hygiene to areas unreached by the state and remote communities on earth – sometimes - Environmental sustainability – churches’ long reach singlehandedly. Often the church is reaching these places And yet much of the church’s work remains hidden and is helping even the poorest become less vulnerable to in a way that other institutions do not – and cannot. Its undocumented. Outside communities where it has a disasters long reach and presence extends even into war zones, presence, its work at the grassroots is virtually invisible. Tearfund has worked with and through churches from refugee camps and mountain hamlets. Crucially, it is - Advocacy – the church is one of the few agencies able across the denominations for 40 years. We believe that tackling poor people’s material and spiritual poverty to to disseminate information from the grassroots in the church’s greatest potential lies in local congregations bring development that is truly sustainable. countries such as Zimbabwe rooted in the local community and culture. We are already past the midpoint in the race towards the - Gender equity – local churches’ deep roots in local The local church is the poor – its members share in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – and at the culture mean they are often uniquely placed to tackle suffering. As the hub of many communities, it endures current rate of progress we will fail on many counts, discrimination particularly in the poorest regions. We need to scale up even when other community structures collapse, our efforts and make sure that aid works harder where outstaying even the most dogged NGO. And it has vast The church at home and abroad needs help to build its poverty hurts most. reserves of motivated volunteers keen to respond to the capacity and potential, through envisioning, training and, needs around them. sometimes, confronting its weaknesses. But Tearfund is Governments and international donors say they are convinced of the church’s potential and committed to Crucially, its root-and-branch approach to tackling serious about the MDGs. So they need to recognise that, this process. in many nations, the church is an essential partner in poverty means it meets poor people’s physical needs and delivering development that is truly sustainable.